Fog, FOg, FOG

[Pieter C. 5]

Not only in India, there were problems lately, but also here:

 

Fog Grounds Flights At Sofia Airport

 

December 11, 2006

Unusually persistent fog has forced the cancellation of 115 flights using Sofia Airport in the past 10 days, almost severing one of Bulgaria's major transport links, officials said on Monday.

 

Flights to Vienna, Frankfurt and Athens were cancelled on Monday morning alone because of the fog hanging over the area, said Monika Pelinkova, spokeswoman for Sofia Airport.

 

"It is a force majeure situation. For each flight we decide separately," she said. "There is nothing else that can be done."

 

Weather forecasters said December is normally foggy in Bulgaria, but this year was worse than usual because there has been no wind, and because economic growth has resulted in worsening air pollution around the capital.

 

Sofia airport has undergone significant modernization over the past two years, including building a new terminal and runways, but it does not have a certified system for landing in poor visibility.

 

Some pilots have resorted to circling over Sofia to see whether they can land. Some flights are re-directed to the Black Sea city of Bourgas, the central town of Plovdiv, or Istanbul in neighboring Turkey, she said.

 

Airlines complain that they have suffered heavy financial losses on their Sofia routes recently. "It is very unpleasant, both for us and for the passengers," said Yovko Yotsev, chairman of the Bulgarian Airlines Association.

 

The forecast for this week? The fog may disperse over the next two days, but is expected to return at the end of the week.

 

(Reuters)

 

Dense Fog In China Disrupts Flights

 

December 12, 2006

Heavy fog blanketed Beijing, Shanghai and other parts of north and east-central China for a second day on Tuesday, worsening air pollution in the capital and disrupting air and highway travel across the region.

 

Binhai Airport in the coastal city Tianjin, about 130 kilometres from Beijing, was closed as were parts of eight highways after fog covered the area beginning late on Monday, the Xinhua news agency said.

 

"This is the heaviest and longest-lasting fog that has affected Tianjin's airports this winter," it quoted an official at Binhai as saying.

 

Visibility was reduced to less than 50 metres in central Tianjin and at the airport, the agency said, adding that more than 40 flights had been delayed.

 

In Beijing, 16 flights were delayed and nine cancelled due to low visibility at Beijing Capital Airport, it added.

 

Fog stretched across northern Hebei province, the northeastern province of Liaoning and the central province of Henan, causing traffic jams in the area and forcing authorities to shut parts of major highway, Xinhua said.

 

Residents in Shanghai also reported fog had greatly restricted visibility, but flights there were not affected.

 

Beijing's pollution index reached "hazardous" levels on Tuesday, with Monday's level just one notch below, making it the most polluted day so far this month.

 

The fog in Tianjin was expected to ease slightly later in the day.

 

(Reuters)

 

 

[Sandeep G 1]

Delhi is always in a cloud of dust... I remember my first trip there... was waiting to see somethng.. then suddenly I saw a building VERY close to the A/C and then we were on the ground - couldn't see anything else around it!!! Bloody dissapointed!

 

China is no better, the haze there is perpetually terrible. Thank god KL is clear nowadays (touch wood)

[Mohd Idham 0]

Any pics..?

[Sandeep G 1]

Negative - at the time I was young and oblivious to having a camera always at hand and there was no WWW

[Desmond Loo 0]

Air travel fog ordeal continues

 

Some passengers stayed overnight

Dense fog is continuing to cause misery for Christmas holiday travellers at Heathrow and other UK airports.

Hundreds of domestic flights and some international flights are grounded.

 

Heathrow has been the worst hit, with 40,000 people affected, and services from Gatwick, Manchester, Glasgow and Cardiff have also been disrupted.

 

Passengers voiced anger at a lack of information. Fog is forecast on Friday, when BA says all domestic flights to and from Heathrow will be cancelled.

 

About 350 flights out of Heathrow were cancelled on Thursday, a 40% reduction in services.

 

He described the situation as "absolute mayhem" because travellers were only being allowed into the terminal an hour before their flights were due to depart.

 

"Women with children, including babies, are standing outside in the cold because the marquee is chock-a-block with people," he added.

 

The disruption will continue on Friday, with British Airways announcing it would be operating no domestic flights in and out of Heathrow and a reduced short-haul schedule because of the fog.

 

About 100 flights in total have already been cancelled.

 

BBC weather forecaster Darren Bett said "right until Christmas and even beyond there's the risk of fog".

 

TRAVEL ADVICE

British Airways customers should contact 0800 727 800 or check the www.britishairways.com website to see if their flight is still operating

 

WHY FOG AFFECTS FLIGHTS

Spacing in air above Heathrow increased between planes from three miles to six miles

This means planes land less frequently

Runway capacity reduced by 40%

Domestic flights cancelled because rebooking or alternative travel easierLow visibility

 

Low visibility had caused air traffic control to place restrictions on flights landing and taking off at Heathrow.

 

The weather also affected services from Edinburgh and Norwich. Some services from Coventry Airport operated from East Midlands Airport and Birmingham International.

 

BA said 200 flights, including European short-haul and domestic, had been cancelled in total.

 

The firm said about 3,000 passengers were put on coaches from Heathrow to Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow. Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

 

BMI said about a third of its services in and out of Heathrow - some 40 flights - had been cancelled because of the reduction in air traffic movement capacity.

 

Some flights at Northern Ireland's main airports that were unaffected by cancellations saw delays of up to three hours.

 

BA said the fog would also hit Heathrow flights on Friday

 

Many passengers on cancelled flights are choosing to travel by rail instead and a spokesman for the train operators said they were coping with the extra passengers.

 

 

 

Picked this up from the BBC

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6198917.stm

 

Must be frustrating for passengers.

 

[Pieter C. 5]

Chaos To Continue As Fog Grounds UK Flights

 

December 21, 2006

Thick fog grounded hundreds of flights at London airports on Thursday, stranding thousands of travellers at one of the peak travel periods of the year.

 

The flight chaos looked set to continue on Friday after British Airways said all domestic flights at Heathrow Airport and some European services had been cancelled and more planes might be grounded.

 

The airline said severe fog was expected to last for another 48 hours and forecasters at the Met Office warned there was a risk of fog hanging over the southeast of England during the Christmas period, continuing to next week.

 

About 500 people spent the night at Heathrow after British Airways cancelled all domestic and some European flights to and from the airport because of poor visibility.

 

"I am too tired to be angry," said student Rob Evans, 23, who spent last night on the floor after arriving from Calgary to find his connecting flight to Hamburg was cancelled.

 

"It felt like the worst sleepover ever."

 

Heathrow was shrouded in fog for a second day, prompting air traffic controllers to impose tight restrictions on flights.

 

Passengers queued in the cold outside terminal buildings to find out if their flight would leave.

 

"It looks like I will be spending Christmas in London," said student Gianluca Longhi, 24, after his flight to Milan was cancelled. "I feel I will be stranded here indefinitely."

 

Airport operator BAA, which runs Heathrow and six other airports in the country, warned of overcrowding and delays for people visiting families for Christmas or leaving on holiday.

 

At least 350 of 1,300 flights at Heathrow were grounded.

 

"Christmas has been cancelled," said David Page, 43, a health worker from northern England after his flight to the Canary Islands was scrapped. "I'll be spending a quiet Christmas in Derbyshire rather than on a beach in Gran Canaria."

 

Flights were cancelled at other airports, including 30 in Scotland, as the disruption spread.

 

Car hire firms at Heathrow's Terminal One said they were running out of cars as people looked for other ways to travel.

 

"All of our 350 cars were snapped up this morning," a Hertz spokesman said. Alamo said it had no cars left there.

 

Hotels at Heathrow said bookings were up by nearly a third.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Imran K. 0]

Negative - at the time I was young and oblivious to having a camera always at hand and there was no WWW

 

Waaa...soo old ah you Sandeep...

[Edwin P K 0]

Sigh, it's not even funny anymore! I pray and hope that my flight tomorrow to Paris is not delayed/cancelled, if it is then i'm SCREWED!!

[Pieter C. 5]

Fog Paralyses London Heathrow Again

 

December 22, 2006

Thousands of travellers struggling to get home for Christmas faced another day of chaos and frustration on Friday as London's Heathrow Airport was blanketed in fog.

 

"The weather across much of the UK is regrettably showing little sign of improvement," said Geoff Want, director of ground operations for British Airways which has cancelled all domestic flights.

 

Boeing 747 Jumbo jets are being put on some European routes to try and deal with the backlog.

 

On Thursday, 350 flights were cancelled and a similar number will be stopped on Friday, said a spokesman for airport operator BAA, which runs Heathrow and six other airports in Britain.

 

"It is the world's busiest international airport but we have only two runways. If you compare with our main competitors in Europe, Frankfurt has three, Paris has four and Amsterdam has five. We have fundamental capacity constraints," BAA spokesman Simon Baugh told BBC radio on Friday.

 

British Airways had to despatch more than 3,000 passengers on coaches across Britain as the airport was gripped by fog for a third day running.

 

In below freezing conditions, passengers were offered hot drinks, woolly hats and blankets by airline staff which hope to run a full roster of long haul flights even if there will be some delays.

 

"We understand that Christmas is an extremely important time of year for our customers and their families and we are working around the clock to give every assistance possible," Want said.

 

It is the second time Dariusz Cichy from Poland has been caught up in severe delays at London's airports which faced major disruption in August after police foiled what they said was a plot to blow up transatlantic airlines.

 

The August alerts left the 33-year-old farm worker trapped at Gatwick Airport, trying to get home to Warsaw.

 

This latest delay at Heathrow is worse, he said. "This one is much longer. It is a disaster."

 

Dan McKenzie, 35, spent his birthday at Heathrow on Wednesday trying to get a 40 minute flight to Belfast following a holiday in San Francisco.

 

"I feel the holiday memories have evaporated," the decorator said. "It is not a good advert for one of the biggest airports in the world."

 

(Reuters)

 

KLM operated PH-BFA on a AMS-LHR-AMS flight yesterday, 21dec06, and is operating 'normally' today (no cancellations sofar and only slight delays)

 

[Radzi 2]

Just wonder, this is fog. And I believe a lot of European operators can do AWOPS? And LHR got Cat III, right?

[Pieter C. 5]

Just wonder, this is fog. And I believe a lot of European operators can do AWOPS? And LHR got Cat III, right?

 

Even during normal operations, there are delays at LHR: just too much traffic, so, you can imagine if ATC is gonna increase the seperation-criteria...........

 

The diverted IR 747, supposed to depart 1200 to LHR today, is still at SPL, as I speak, and now stands at 4.30pm (ATC)

[Radzi 2]

So Pieter, LHR is not closed but operates with reduced capacity, right?

[Pieter C. 5]

So Pieter, LHR is not closed but operates with reduced capacity, right?

 

Here's an overview up to now:

 

 

STD EBD FLIGHT ROUTE GAT POS REG/TYP NF REMARK EBA

0700 0700A BA 8110 LGW# H01* *GGFFJ PL 2353A

0730 0812A BA 0423 LHR# D18 GEUXI PL DLU 84 2342A

0935 1021A BA 8112 LGW# D16 GGFFB PL ATC 84 0902A

1040 1047A BA 0429 LHR# D18 GEUOG PL ATC 84 0944A

1145 - BA 0431 LHR# D10 319 PL SAN 1055-

1200 1725C BA 8114 LGW# H07* GDOCS PL DLU CRR 1700C

1445 1521A BA 0435 LHR# D10 GEUPD PL DLU LIA 1432A

1555 1620E BA 8116 LGW# H07* GGFFI PL DLU*LIA 1629C

1635 1826C BA 0439 LHR# D10 GEUOB PL DLU WXO 1642C

1850 BA 8118 LGW# H06* GGFFB PL 1755

1915 BA 0441 LHR# D12* GEUXC PL 1830

1955 BA 8120 LGW# H06* GDOCX PL 1915

2115 BA 0443 LHR# D16 GEUPK PL 2010

 

and KLM:

 

0630 0700A KL 1000 AMS *PHBDT PL 2216A

0840 0933A KL 1002 AMS PHBXB PL 0809A

1010 1114A KL 1008 AMS *PHAOE PL 0957A

1150 1200A KL 1010 AMS *PHBDD PL 1036A

1355 1510C KL 1014 AMS *PHBTF PL 1423A

1450 1535C KL 1018 AMS PHBDA PL 1449T

1550 1628 KL 1020 AMS *PHBDE PL 1527R

1715 1729 KL 1022 AMS *PHBDT PL 1629

1815 1849 KL 1024 AMS *PHBPC PL 1749

2015 KL 1028 AMS *PHBXE PL 1915

 

So, quite normal for the AMS-LHR flights...didn't check BD flights btw...

[Edwin P K 0]

Many of the domestic flights from BA are canned, rightly so. They can just use train and bus! Not many international flights are cancelled, but delays are expected as they are operating at a reduced capacity.

 

 

[Naim 6]

Short and sweet Q&A from www.dailymail.co.uk

 

 

Q&A: Why is Heathrow in chaos?

Last updated at 14:30pm on 21st December 2006

 

Fog means the number of take off and landing slots have been halved. Air traffic controllers have ordered the measure to increase the distance between planes on the ground, so that pilots can manoeuvre their planes safely. If there is poor visibility they cannot be too close together so as to avoid collisions.

Why only cancel domestic and European flights?

 

Because passengers on long-haul flights have no alternative. Domestic passengers can - in theory - try trains, coaches or the roads. And compensation payments to short-haul passengers are much lower.

 

Are planes in the air safe in the fog?

 

Yes. Once in flight, pilots do not rely solely on being able to see other planes to stay safe. Air traffic controllers monitor their progress by radar - which is unaffected by fog meaning the safe separation distance is unchanged.

 

How long will it last?

 

Until the fog is over - and there will be delays after that because much of the airlines' fleets will be in the wrong place. Forecasters have said the fog is set to last until Boxing Day, meaning the first normal day of flights may not be until Wednesday.

[TW Teo 0]

The last few days I was shuttling between Belfast and Leeds with Jet2.com without much trouble fortunately, with only a 30 min delay for deicing.

 

With flights cancelled in London, planes are left stranded in the wrong place. This means smaller airports like Leeds Bradford and Belfast International, and Belfast City are also affected. The worst affected will be the LCCs which messed up their entire system.

 

What's really appalling is passengers are shouting at airport staff for reasons beyond their control. But passengers should be more informed with the latest development in my opinion and not left wondering what's going on which leads to frustration.

 

But for spotters, expect unusual aircraft to appear in your airport as airlines are utilising larger aircraft to clear the backlog in the next few days as the fog is clearing.

[Keith T 2]

Flying into LHR on Monday to meet my folks... *fingers crossed*

So far LH hasn't given any advice RE LHR.

 

Got my suitcase back from UA/US finally (who, for the record, collectively took more time to transfer my bag from IAD to DC Downtown than it did for AA/LH/TG to send my bag from Bangkok to Chicago via Frankfurt) - but I'm bracing myself for a third delayed baggage incident due to the chaos at LHR...

Edited December 22, 2006 by Keith T

[Andrew Ong 1]

Flying into LHR on Monday to meet my folks... *fingers crossed*

So far LH hasn't given any advice RE LHR.

 

Got my suitcase back from UA/US finally (who, for the record, collectively took more time to transfer my bag from IAD to DC Downtown than it did for AA/LH/TG to send my bag from Bangkok to Chicago via Frankfurt) - but I'm bracing myself for a third delayed baggage incident due to the chaos at LHR...

 

Congrats Keith for your suitcase's safe return

 

Well, LHR is in utter chaos again since that terrorists were caught with liquid explosives at LHR in August 10, 2006.

 

[Walter Sim 1]

Ah, do keep us informed those who's flying into LHR whether you guys are delayed or not esp. Keith and Edwin

[Keith T 2]

Well, LHR is in utter chaos again since that terrorists were caught with liquid explosives at LHR in August 10, 2006.

 

I think the fog is a greater concern right now.

 

[Edwin P K 0]

Flights are returning to normal (for BMI at least), so here I am in Terminal 1 in Heathrow...I'm so glad that I checked-in and printed my boarding pass before going to the airport...the queue was extremely long! Phew!

 

Onwards to Paris!

[Pieter C. 5]

Fog Causes 350 London Flight Cancellations

 

December 22, 2006

Travellers struggling to get home for Christmas faced another day of chaos on Friday, with some 350 flights cancelled at London's Heathrow Airport for a second day due to a thick blanket of fog.

 

But some relief was in sight, with British Airways, which has suffered most cancellations, saying it aimed to fly 95 percent of customers in and out of Heathrow as planned on Saturday.

 

The airline said it planned extra flights with bigger planes to try to ease disruption as the fog begins to clear.

 

"We are hopeful that the weather will improve slightly over the weekend and therefore we can get back to operating a full planned Christmas Eve schedule," said Geoff Want, the airline's director of ground operations.

 

"We are drafting in extra staff from across the airline over the weekend to ensure that customers get to their final destinations before Christmas Day."

 

Britain's Met Office predicted widespread fog for Saturday, possibly lingering in some areas on Sunday, Christmas Eve.

 

On Thursday, 350 flights were cancelled and a similar number were stopped on Friday, said a spokesman for airport operator BAA, which runs Heathrow and six other British airports.

 

BA said it was offering customers "the three Rs -- rebooking, rerouting and refunds". In below freezing conditions, passengers were offered hot drinks, woolly hats and blankets by staff.

 

"Christmas has been cancelled," complained disgruntled passenger David Page.

 

Father Christmas tried to offer some cheer to demoralized passengers with three red and white suited Santas despatched to raise morale at overcrowded terminals.

 

"We understand that Christmas is an extremely important time of year for our customers and their families and we are working around the clock to give every assistance possible," Want said.

 

Despite air traffic control rules which slowed landings and take-offs by 50 percent, a BA spokesman said the airline managed to get 80 percent of passengers to their destinations on Thursday, some going by minibuses or coaches.

 

BA has booked 5,000 hotel rooms over the past two nights to accommodate others.

 

Thousands packed on to trains to try to get home, said Virgin Trains, which runs long distance services across Britain. But there were no seats available on any of Friday's Eurostar trains from London to Paris or Brussels. Tickets are sold out until Saturday afternoon.

 

There were a small number of flight cancellations at London's second biggest airport Gatwick on Friday and some delays of up to an hour, BAA said, but no cancellations at the capital's third airport, Stansted.

 

The fog chaos and loss of revenue from hundreds of cancelled flights is expected to cost BA millions of pounds.

 

BA published quarterly earnings last month which showed it cost the airline GBP100 million pounds (USD$196.5 million) after security was tightened in the wake of what police in August said was a plot to blow up airliners.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Pieter C. 5]

Again, some serious problems in China:

 

Fog Closes Chinese Airports, Thousands Stranded

 

December 26, 2006

Thousands of passengers across eastern, northern and central China have been stranded after heavy fog closed airports and hundreds of flights were cancelled, state media said on Tuesday.

 

Highways were also closed and in some cities, such as Lanzhou in the northwest, authorities issued pollution alerts and warned people not to go outside as smog had worsened the situation, Xinhua said.

 

"In some provinces, people are advised to wear masks as the heavy smog contains pollutants like carbon monoxide," Xinhua said.

 

Airports in Nanjing, Hangzhou and Hefei in China's east and Jinan in the north either closed completely or cancelled most flights, it said, stranding around 20,000 people.

 

"No flights have taken off since this morning," an official at Nanjing Airport said, adding he did not know when the situation would return to normal.

 

The fog is expected to dissipate as freezing air from Siberia moves across China, Xinhua said, though temperatures would fall by up to 10 degrees Celcius (18 degrees Fahrenheit).

 

(Reuters)

 

Also, I personally haven't seen the sun now for 10 consecutive days : grey & dull weather, but not as foggy as Heathrow recently

 

[Pieter C. 5]

Heavy Fog Closes Ankara Airport

 

January 11, 2007

Heavy fog forced authorities to halt flights in and out of Ankara's Esenboga Airport on Thursday, an airport official said.

 

Air traffic was halted at 0100 GMT and had not resumed by 1000 GMT, the NTV news channel said.

 

Some flights have been cancelled, the official added.

 

Flights in and out of Istanbul's Ataturk Airport were also delayed on Wednesday evening, but had resumed by Thursday morning, NTV said.

 

Heavy fog has also forced authorities to halt maritime traffic on the Turkish straits.

 

(Reuters)